Erteco and Rutgerson Marin have worked together for many years on material selection and product development for demanding marine applications. The collaboration is built on a shared understanding of how materials, design and real-life conditions interact when performance and reliability are critical.
A partnership built on shared understanding
Magnus Ullman, polymer engineer at Erteco, has more than 40 years of experience in the plastics industry and has been part of Erteco for more than 23 years. During that time, Erteco has evolved from a traditional distributor into a technical development partner, where simulations, calculations and application expertise are integrated into the way of working.
In the collaboration with Rutgerson Marin, the marine context is already well understood. This makes discussions more efficient, allowing the focus to quickly move from basic requirements to real-life use, load cases, geometry and manufacturability in order to identify the right solution early in the process.
Sailing as a real-life reference
Magnus has been sailing since childhood and still races actively. This year includes World Championship qualification events and the Swedish Championship in his class, a regatta in Bermuda, the World Championship off Boston and the Swedish Championship in J/70 together with his team KUL Sailing.
One of the experiences that has shaped his perspective the most is Watski Two Star (double-handed), starting in Oxelösund. In extremely demanding conditions, only around 25 out of approximately 125 boats reached the finish line. Experiences like these provide a very practical understanding of what truly performs over time, and why material choices, design and details matter.
Metal replacement and long-term performance
Rutgerson Marin was an early adopter of metal replacement materials in marine applications. For Erteco, Rutgerson blocks have become a strong example of what can be achieved when the right material is combined with the right design in demanding environments.
This year, Rutgerson Marin celebrates 50 years of product development for marine applications, focusingon real load cases and long-term performance.
Magnus still uses Rutgerson blocks as demonstration examples in customer discussions, as they clearly show proven durability and reliability in harsh enviro
nments. When performance has been demonstrated over many years in real-life applications, discussions about long-term properties become more concrete and solution-oriented.
Technical expertise combined with practical understanding
Founded in 1888, Erteco operates across the Nordic region, the Baltics and partly in Poland. The company combines material expertise, calculation engineering and practical process knowledge to support customers in developing manufacturable solutions with the right performance in real-world conditions.
Moving forward
The collaboration between Erteco and Rutgerson Marin highlights how innovation develops through the combination of practical experience and technical expertise. From harsh marine environments and real load cases to material selection and product development, the focus remains the same: developing solutions designed to perform over time.
